The Portrayal of Public Relations Practitioners: A Content Analysis of Television and Film

Abstract

This study was conducted using content analysis of four films and two television shows. It examined the portrayals of public relations practitioners of the above sample to look for positive or negative portrayals. It also examined the functions of event planner or planning and management, among the portrayals. The results show that a positive portrayal of public relations practitioners is twice that of the negative portrayals, with the management function displayed twice as often as the event planner or planning function. Although these results are significant, it also found an unexpectedly high neutral portrayal, exceeding the combined number of positive and negative portrayals. Suggestions for future follow-up research in this area are presented.